Mini John Cooper Works Convertible Revealed

The dynamic Mini John Cooper Works was a car that we were immensely impressed by last year, so much so that it took third place in our 2015 top 5 cars of the year, only bettered by the Mazda MX-5 and Mercedes AMG-GT. This Spring, we are now able to experience the same thrill but with unlimited headroom, as the Mini John Cooper Works Convertible is coming to showrooms April this year.

Broadly the same as the it’s hatchback counterpart in terms of performance, the new convertible will hopefully offer the go-kart dynamism the Mini is famed for whilst being exposed to the elements. The 2-litre TwinPower engine produces 231 bhp which is enough for a 0-62mph time in 6.5 seconds, 0.2 seconds behind the hardtop and a top speed of 150mph, just 3mph slower than the hatchback. Those big Brembo breaks are also on hand to get you back down to zero as quickly as possible.

The engine can either be paired with a six-speed manual setup with an emissions level of 152g/km or the Steptronic automatic gearbox returning 138g/km and also an average fuel consumption of 47.9mpg and 43.5mpg for the manual and automatic respectively.

The interior remains the same quality finish as found in the standard car, the JCW sports seats finished in Dinamica/Carbon Black fabric or leather with read accents. Also remaining is the leather sports steering wheel which offers an engaging experience which is furthered by the optional HUD.

The standard John Cooper Works was not cheap at £23,050 but you paid for the badge, performance and a real quality product. The convertible version, unfortunately, is even less ‘not cheap’ and the absence of the roof means the manual car now starts at £26,630 and the auto at £28,205 which is very expensive indeed.

The new Mini John Cooper Works Convertible promises to be a very fun and exciting car to drive just as the hardtop was, but we will have to wait and see if that premium price tag really is worth it and if any driving potency has been lost through the absence of the metal roof.